


More Than I Paid For

by cadlg7



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Angst, Awkward Dates, Bottom Castiel, Bottoming from the Top, Celebrations, Character Death, Depressed Castiel, Depression, F/F, F/M, Famous Castiel, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Host Clubs, M/M, Mechanic Dean, One Night Stands, Prostitute Dean, Prostitution, Shy Castiel, Top Dean, Violinist Castiel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-31
Updated: 2016-04-28
Packaged: 2018-03-20 14:16:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,644
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3653475
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cadlg7/pseuds/cadlg7
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Castiel, an underrated violinist, needs a date to impress his family, but due to the amount of failed relationships, he forces himself into hiring a date but unknowingly pays for a little more than that and finds himself under the situation where he slowly falls in love with his host. To Dean, pretending to be the boyfriend of another man wasn't supposed to mean anything, but all of that changes when he meets the shy, but loving Castiel, who shows him he is worth more than he believed himself to be.<br/></p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

It had been seven o’clock at night when Castiel received a phone call from his best-friend and manager, Charlie Bradbury. He could barely understand a word she was saying because she was too busy giggling. “So, her name’s Dorothy?” He managed to say during one of the moments where she was quiet and was giving him a space to talk.

“She’s an actress.”

“Ah.” That was an impressive position in comparison to Charlie’s past girlfriends. He would never forget the girl Gilda that worked at Disneyland as one of the Tinkerbell fairies and kept the costume after she was fired. She was another level of weird.

“Yeah, she’s come out in that show we like, _Hemlock Grove_! She plays the cousin of the main guy!” Castiel could never tell Charlie that he really didn’t like Hemlock Grove because she had recommended it to him or that he just stuck around because he had a major crush on the vampire kid.

“That’s nice! Tell her she’s great in the part.” He sat in front of his computer, browsing the internet for new outfits to wear for his performances or new cooking recipes he could try for himself or whenever he decides to bring a guy home again.

“By the way, have you found anyone to take to meet your family Friday night?” The question hit him like ice cold water. He had completely forgotten about Friday night or the date he was supposed to bring to prove he wasn’t lonely.

“No.”

“You had one job, Cas.”

“I know, but I haven’t been so lucky in the dating department since Balthazar.” He opened up a new tab and went to his Facebook account. _Balthazar Roche_ , he typed into the search bar and clicked on the first result. His fan page had five million likes. Castiel’s only had one hundred and fifty thousand.

He couldn’t understand how his ex was more popular than him in the violin music area. Not only was he a self-centered jerk but his music had no meaning, it was just covers of popular music. Castiel’s was original songs that he had written yet he never managed to catch up to him. He didn’t like to treat his career as competition but sometimes it was hard not to, especially when Balthazar constantly teased him and insulted his work.

“What about that cute reporter that gave you his number last week?” Charlie suggested, “What was his name?”

“Gadreel? Yeah, no, I don’t want to use him that way.” Gadreel was a sweet guy— probably too sweet—that strongly believed that he and Castiel were meant to be. It was nice how he would stare at him with loving eyes and smile at even the worst of his jokes, but Castiel thought he deserved better. It wasn’t that he wasn’t interested in him, because he was, it just Gadreel wasn’t the experience he was looking for. He wanted to be swept off his feet the same way his brother Gabriel had been when he met his fiancée Kali, he wanted to hear his heartbeat drumming for that special someone, and Gadreel, the kind journalist, just didn’t make him feel like that.

Charlie paused, “I would go with you but I’m meeting Dorothy this Friday.”

“And my family knows I’m not into women so…”

“I could ask a friend to do it.”

“It’s fine.” It wasn’t “I’ll just tell them the truth: I don’t have a boyfriend.”

“I’ll come up with something, just give me some time.”

“You don’t have to.”

“I’m going to.” And she hung up before he could protest.

“Okay.” He settled his phone next to his computer and continued with his search. After closing the Balthazar tab, he felt as if he had nothing more to do. This had become a daily routine for him, to google his goddamn ex. He knew it was obsessive of him but it was more of rage and jealousy because Balthazar had used him. He only wanted Castiel for his techniques, to learn how he made his music sound so beautiful without having to try so hard, but when he saw that he wouldn’t get anything out of him, he ended the relationship. His sibling had warned him about Balthazar, but he refused to listen until the damage had been done.

At seven-thirty, Castiel received a text message from Charlie: _Don’t hate me, but I’ve found your solution._ And next to it, was a link to a website.  Angelsanddemons.com

He was usually hesitant to searching websites that Charlie sent him because they were usually pages that had some bad stuff in them or he just didn’t understand what they were for. But he did it anyways. He went to the search bar and typed it out. For a website he had never seen or heard of before, its display was impressive.

 

_Tired of showing up to weddings, dinners, or just friendly meetings alone? Do you want to impress your friends and family with a trophy companion? We’ve got the solution for you. Rent any of our pre-screened ladies or gents and have a great time!_

 

The small paragraph didn’t make Castiel feel comfortable. He knew what this website was for and he was sure of why Charlie, that damn red-head, sent it to him. She wanted him to hire someone to be his date for Friday.

How could she think that he’d go low enough to hire someone and have them pretend they were in love with him? It didn’t feel right to force a love onto someone that he would never see again.

He had the pointer on the close button but didn’t click on it. Castiel was sure that he didn’t want to do such a foul thing, but did he mean it? Could he be that person that hired people to love him for one day? He wanted to impress his brothers and sister with one hell of a date but did he want to do this? As wrong as this was, this was his only solution.

It was already bad enough that his siblings weren’t interested with his achievements. According to his older brother Michael, he was just as violinist, he wasn’t as above as they were. Michael was a lawyer, Gabriel was an English professor at Washington State, and Anna, his older sister by eleven months, was a nurse. There was nothing about being a really good violinist that impressed him. Not even that his concerts almost filled up.

There were four pink tabs with white letters: _Hire a Date, Hire an Entertainer, Reviews,_ and _Our Prices_. The first thing that came to mind when he saw entertainer was sex. Did they really have their people prostitute themselves for the purpose of creating a name for their company?

The website was nice and inviting, it was eye-catching enough to make the decisions of the customer very tempting. “I cannot believe I’m doing this.” Cas told himself as he clicked on _Our Prices_. There were three categories listed.

 

_—Pricing with a minimum of a 24 hour notice is only $200 per hour with a three hour minimum.—_

_—Our five hour special is $700 and additional hours are just $50.—_

_—Our ‘Full Experience’ Service is $1,300 for eight hours.—_

The Full Experience service sounded quite tempting so he opened the link on another tab. According to the site, the full experience was where the best escorts were guaranteed. He wasn’t sure why he needed one for eight hours or why it was so expensive. Then again, he would only have to choose from the best hosts. By taking this deal, he had enough time to relax and not have to worry about his family liking whoever he took or not. _Interested in our Full Experience Service?_ He selected _yes_.

He opened up the gallery for the male section and was impressed to see the amount of very handsome men that showed up in the first row of pictures. There were several with fake tans but amazing eye colors, some were young looking that made him doubt if they were even legal enough to be there, and there were some older guys that looked like they had a pretty good sense of humor and were extremely kind but had no business in there anymore.

On the top of the page was a question. _Are you a male or a female?_ He picked male. And the results became less, but the men that displayed were still unbelievably handsome.

 _Benny Lafitte, 30, 5’11._ He was attractive with a beard and blue eyes, but didn’t meet any of Castiel’s standards and he looked like more of a relative rather than a person he wanted to date.

 _Dick Roman, 38, 6’0_. Castiel quickly rejected him because he looked like a real jerk judging from a first impression and his name sounded like he worked for the porn industry.

 _Cole Trenton, 23, 5’9_. If there was something Castiel was certain of, it was that Cole was not twenty-three years old. If anything, he looked to be in his early thirties.

 _Aaron Bass, 24, 5’10_. This one looked really sweet and like he had a great sense of humor. For a brief moment, Cas considered him but kept him aside in case a better option came up.

And after a few more candidates, the perfect one had showed up on his screen like he hoped for. _Dean Winchester, 27, 6’1_. His first thought when he saw him was that there was no way a guy could be that good looking. He had short, dark blond hair and gorgeous apple green eyes that stood out mostly besides the track of freckles on his cheeks and nose.

Castiel clicked on his name for his profile.

_ _

_My name is Dean Winchester. I’m an Aquarius; I enjoy sunsets, long walks on the beach, and frisky men/women._

That made Castiel smile, at least he was forward.

There was something about him, besides his dashing looks, that hooked Castiel to his profile. Maybe it was the way he cutely smiled to the camera in the picture, or that he looked awfully real yet fake. It was just something that he couldn’t pinpoint.

On the bottom of his name was the question. _“Is this who you’re interested in?”_ He wanted to click yes because he was too interested in this guy and he hadn’t even met him. But he proceeded anyways. Dean was going to cost him one thousand three hundred dollars plus taxes. If he was that worth it…then it didn’t matter how much he’ll pay.

But he did think about it again though. He wasn’t going to pay for some man that would probably not even look as good in real life as he did in the picture and was only there to get it over with. Was it really that worth it? He glanced at his phone and thought about texting Gadreel and ask him if he wanted to be his date but that would only make the poor man believe that he and Cas could be together.

He couldn’t bring himself down to doing that to the poor man, even if he was desperate so he clicked _yes_ on the question and the page began to ask him for payment forms and showed him the Terms and Condition, which he quickly looked through before agreeing on his deal.

And just a second after he paid, Castiel regretted his decision. This Dean Winchester was a total stranger that would pretend to be his date. What if his siblings didn’t like him? What if he screwed up his cover? Oh, he knew he was going to regret this but he wanted to leave an impression on his brother and sister, especially Anna, and maybe an ideal partner was the right answer?

As wrong as it was, it seemed like the best thing he could’ve done.


	2. Chapter 2

((Canlis))

**Chapter Two**

Friday couldn’t have come faster for anyone else but Castiel. He was nervous about it, about meeting his hired date and about what his sibling would think of him.

Charlie decided to spend a few minutes with him before leaving with Dorothy to make sure he looked presentable for his family and the handsome man that would show up any minute now. “I still can’t believe you actually hired someone. You don’t usually do as I say.”

“Well,” He began to fix his blue tie around him, “If my relationships hadn’t been so shitty since Balthazar, maybe I could’ve used _them_.” Cas had dated several guys ever since his break up with Balthazar but none of them had ended in good terms. “His name is Dean Winchester.” Yes, Dean with the freckles and dreamy green eyes.

“Is he handsome?”

Castiel nodded, “Very.” _Too_ handsome actually. The whole week he had a hard time believing that a guy could be as handsome as the photographs of Dean Winchester. “I just hope he’s worth all the money I paid for.” Even if money wasn’t his biggest problem—hell, with the amount he made on his concerts he could’ve gotten himself a nicer apartment—, it still seemed as if what he paid for Dean was a bit higher than he wanted.

“Are you nervous?” Charlie didn’t know why she was asking that when it so obvious that he was. But Castiel still nodded to answer her question.

He could feel his hands shaking, his anxiety increasing because he was about to meet a complete, but handsome, stranger that was going to pretend to be his boyfriend for the night. “I don’t even know what to tell him.”

“You need to come up with a believable story so that your siblings don’t suspect.” She knew Castiel too well to think that he was probably gonna come up with something that would be used in a Nicholas Sparks’ novel. He might’ve been a very talented violinist but he was not very good at coming up with stories.

“Something like what?”

“Say you met him at a bar. Or during one of your concerts. It doesn’t matter what you say, Cas, this guy is getting paid to go along with whatever you say.” As soon as Charlie said that, Castiel frowned. He didn’t like how she had said that, she made Dean sound like a product. He didn’t care for what Dean did: a job was a job and he didn’t like that Charlie said that.

He wanted to scold her, but as soon as he opened his mouth to say something, the doorbell rang and if Castiel had anything in his hands, he would’ve dropped it all because he froze where he stood. No, it was too soon. There was still ten minutes before they left.

“Should I open the door?” Charlie asked, “Or do you want to do that.”

“Open the door.” He whispered.

“I don’t think I should. After all he is your date—”

“Open the goddamn door, Charlie!” Castiel’s voice grew louder, which made him fear if Dean had heard say that.

“Okay, okay! Jesus!” She giggled. There was nothing more fun than watching Castiel getting angry while he was nervous. Charlie walked to the door and waited a few seconds to make sure she looked presentable before she opened.

Standing there, looking down to a piece of paper that his freckled hands held on to, was a tall, good-looking man with short, light brown hair, and sun-tanned skin dressed in black shirt that was had the first two buttons undone and a suit that really hugged his muscular figure and broad shoulders. Damn, this guy was going to wreck Castiel.

His grass-green eyes moved up from his paper to Charlie, “Are you Cas Novak?” His voice, deep and sensual, spoke and full of confusion. His paper said that Castiel was male.

She backed away from the door and grabbed Castiel by the arm to bring him to the door. The first thing that Cas saw of Dean were his eyes, his sky blue eyes connecting with those bright green ones before his eyes moved down to the rest of his face and body. “Holy shit, you’re _real_.” Was the first thing he said. Great.

“And hot.” Charlie added.

Dean smiled, “ _You’re_ Cas Novak?”

“Dean Winchester?” He couldn’t believe it.

“One and only.” He took Castiel’s hand and shook it. “Nice to meet you.”

Cas could feel a bump in throat preventing him from saying something in response. “Y-yeah.” _Yeah? What the hell?_ He didn’t even return the kind gesture. “Um,” He scratched the back of his head, “Please, come in.” He moved aside to allow him to enter and as he looked down, he noticed Dean’s bow legs. This man was a gift.

“Well,” Charlie said as she grabbed her purse and jacket, “I’m gonna get going and leave you two love birds to it.” She teased. Charlie knew that Cas didn’t want to be left alone, especially with that hunk he chose for an escort, but she did it anyways. “Call me, when you get back.” She winked and immediately left them in dead silence.

And after she departed, Dean and Cas stood in the living room in intoxicating awkwardness. Cas didn’t want to look at Dean and embarrass himself more than he already had but he had to say something if he wanted to get this to work and make an impression when he presented him to his family.

“How old are you?” Dean broke the ice and finally said something. He had to. It was his job to get comfortable with the client.

“Twenty-six.” He couldn’t keep his eyes from the floor, he feared of looking up and staring at Dean like an idiot.

“And where are we going?”

“Canlis.”

“Ah.” Dean had only been there once and it was too fancy for his taste, “And what’s the occasion?”

“Every year there’s a music festival organized for the city and I landed the main gig. My siblings wanted to celebrate.” He looked at Dean to see if he was interested and sure enough he was. Dean didn’t think of it as a big deal but he would go to that festival when he was younger and the main performers were bigger stars now; he had to admit that it was pretty cool.

“Congratulations.” He said.

“Thank you.”

“So, what do you want me to tell your family when they ask about us? Where did we meet? How long have we been together?” Dean walked to the couch and sat down. He patted the available space next to him for Castiel to sit.

Cas mentioned to Gabriel about two months ago that he was in a stable relationship and would repeat the same statement every time they met up, “We’ve been together for two, almost three, months.” That seemed fair enough. “We met at a café.” It was the first place that came to mind and the simplest one. It was becoming hard for him to properly concentrate when Dean was so close to him. He was gorgeous, so breath-taking, that sitting next to him made Cas more nervous than what he already was. He imagined his host to be good to look at from the website’s photos but not _this_ much.

Dean nodded, at least the guy wasn’t making it so complicated. He had been with some women that took their first encounters from fairy-tales “At what time do we leave?”

He looked down to his watch, “It’s best if we go now.” Castiel stood up, grabbed his trench coat, and began to make his way to the door. “Do you want to take my car?”

“I prefer mine.”

**-.-.-.-.-.-**

Dean drove a black 1967 Chevy Impala that would definitively impress Gabriel. Castiel could care less about cars but he couldn’t deny that Dean’s was a true beauty.

It had been a twenty minute drive that Dean used to get to know Castiel better. He was a violinist from a small town in Washington, just a few miles out of Seattle. His favorite movie was Cruel Intentions with Sarah Michelle Gellar, and his favorite band was Mumford & Sons.

Even if none of those things fell under any of Dean’s standards, he admitted that Castiel was quite the eye candy. He had messy dark brown hair and amazing blue eyes that Dean couldn’t stop staring at. His figure was lean and athletic, like if he worked out every morning to look the way he did.

After they both got out of the car, Dean whispered, “Do you want to, maybe, hold hands?” As soon as he said that, he saw Castiel’s hand moving away from his. “We don’t have to if it makes you uncomfortable; it’s just to make it credible.”

“Oh.” Cas kept looking at Dean’s hand as if it were a weapon that was about to kill him, “Okay.” He nodded and Dean entangled his fingers with Castiel’s, sending a wave of chills across the other man’s body.

Walking together to the entrance, holding hands, caused for a lot of heads to turn to them, some to smile, others to give stare in surprise. Cas assumed it was because of Dean. There was no way someone so dashing could be with _him_.

“Welcome to Canlis. Do you have a reservation?” The attractive hostess’s wouldn’t keep her brown eyes from Dean, even after she saw him holding Castiel’s hand.

“Yes.” Castiel said, “Gabriel Novak.”

She typed the name into the computer and one result came up, “Ah yes, table for four.” She grabbed two menus and signaled Dean and Cas to follow her to a table at the other side of the restaurant where two people were already sitting.

Neither of them noticed Castiel coming closer until the hostess said, “Gabriel Novak’s table. Your waiter will be with you soon to ask for your drink.”

A man with chocolate brown hair stood up and spread his arms, “Cassie!” He said loudly as he waited for his younger brother to run to his arms and hug him, but it didn’t happen. “Oh,” His head turned Castiel’s companion, “And who’s this hunk?”

“Yeah, who is he, Castiel?” Anna stood from her chair and hugged Castiel.

“Oh.” Dean stretched his hand, “I’m Dean Winchester, Castiel’s boyfriend.”

Gabriel moved Anna out of the way so that he could shake Dean’s hand first. “So this is the famous boy-toy that Cassie’s been hiding from us, huh?” Castiel didn’t appreciate that Gabriel was calling him _Cassie_ or Dean a _boy-toy_. “I gotta say, he’s a lot more handsome than I imagined.”

“Yeah he is.” Anna sipped from her wine. There was no way somebody like Castiel could’ve hit such a hard jackpot by getting himself such a handsome lad for a boyfriend.

As they all sat down, Gabriel asked, “So how come you’ve kept him hidden for such a long time?”

“You know I don’t like to display my relationships.” The last time he had done that, his whole family watched in amusement as his relationship tore down. “But be glad I’ve brought him.”

“Yeah,” Anna scoffed, “After we practically begged you to. It’s nice to finally meet the one who got you out of your Balthazar phase. It seemed like you were never gonna get out of there.”

Just hearing that poisonous name, made Castiel sigh in discomfort and slight anger. There was nobody he hated more than his ex. Sure, the relationship had been great in the beginning, but then changes began to occur and their whole fling went down to hell.

Dean noticed how Castiel looked down, uncomfortable by the mention of his past boyfriend, so he wrapped his arm around him. Castiel told him about Balthazar on their drive to the restaurant because he knew Anna was going to bring him up and from what he told him, he understood why the topic was a sensitive area.

“Thank you.” Cas whispered.

“No problem.”

Just a few seconds later, a waitress came to their table to ask Dean and Castiel for their drinks and to refill Anna and Gabriel’s wine glasses. Dean asked for a vodka-soda, Castiel asked for white wine. They all thanked the young lady after she served them their beverages.

“So…where’s Michael?”

“Not available as always.”

Michael, their thirty-five year old brother, had become too good to socialize with his family outside of Christmas and Thanksgiving even since he won his first case as a lawyer. Slowly, his kind and loving personally was being replaced by a cold, hating attitude that thought himself above everyone else in the Novak family. Anna was also following his footsteps.

“Well, you can’t really blame him.” Anna spoke, “He’s a busy man.”

“Yeah, but he could’ve made a spot for us, for _Cas_. Cassie hit a big one in his career and he can’t even find the time to make it. I call bullshit on that. Even I drove four hours to fucking get here.”

“It’s fine.” Cas smiled, “It’s not like he’s been there for me before.”

Dean knew what it was to have an absent figure, his dad was a very similar case. He didn’t think he would be reminded of that while he was doing his job.

“It’s true. But enough about that asshat, how are you feeling about this, Cassie? This is huge, you know? Not many get chosen to perform at this music festival and you’re gonna be the main act!”

The Paper Lanterns Festival was a huge thing in Seattle, many people from across the country came to watch as new stars were being born and at the end of it, paper lanterns were released to create beautiful scenery for the city. Castiel had always dreamed of performing there since the first time his parents took him when he was ten and his dream had finally come true. “It feels great! I only dreamt of it, I never thought it would become true someday.”

“But here you are.” Dean said, “You’ve made it and I’m proud of you.” Yes, Dean knew he didn’t have the right to say that to a complete stranger but somehow, in the little time they had spent together, it felt as if he had known Castiel his whole life.

“Did you really drive four hours to get here?” Cas asked Gabriel.

He shook his head, “Nah, I’ve been here all week, because Kali and I are moving into Seattle and I’m just closing some deals with the University here so I can start working after I move in to our new place.”

“Why move?”

“Seattle’s great, a bit depressive, but it’s great.”

“So.” Anna interrupted the moment, “How much did you pay for Dean to date you, Cas?” Of course, she had to say something like that.

“He didn’t pay anything, actually.” Dean answered, “We met at a café, and I had to work really hard to convince him to go out with me on a date.” He chuckled, “It took a while, sure, but he accepted in the end, and I took him out another two times before he finally said yes to being my boyfriend.”

Castiel couldn’t believe it, they hadn’t talked about any of that, but Dean improvised and made it realistic enough for Anna and Gabriel to eat it all up.

“I would’ve never pictured it on him, but he was really good at playing hard-to-get. Enough for me to keep coming back to him like a starving dog, hungry for more of this blue eyed angel.”

“Damn, Cas, I would’ve never pictured you to be that way!” Gabriel teased; he always knew his younger brother had a little devil in him.

“You had _him_ work so hard to get _you_?”

It hadn’t even been thirty minutes into the dinner, and Anna had managed to hit all of Castiel’s nerves, “How’s your boyfriend Anna? What was his name again? Raphael? Uriel? Bartholomew? It’s just, you’ve had _so_ many failed ones, that it’s kind of hard to think of one that’s stuck around.” As soon as it left his mouth, he knew he was going to regret saying something so rude later.

But at least it made Anna shut up for the rest of the night, so that was a highlight.

Dean and Gabriel seemed to be getting along really well and as expected. They talked about cars: Dean’s 1967 Impala versus Gabe’s 1969 Camaro. All Castiel could do was smile and say a few things he thought were appropriate for their conversations before their food came, and suddenly, he was back into the talk.

There were some moments in which Dean, in order to make it seem as if they were in a relationship, would kiss the top of Castiel’s head and stare at him while he looked away with loving eyes. Cas wished he could do the same to not give away the idea that their love was one sided but eveytime he tried, the thought of it all being an act consumed him and killed off his vibe.

The night turned out to be very enjoyable for everyone except Anna, who was busy texting her current boyfriend, or sugar-daddy as Gabriel had told him when she had been off to the ladies room, Zachariah. It was a good two hours of good food, nice conversations, and worshipping of Castiel for finding such a charming ‘boyfriend’ like Dean.

For several moments of the night, Castiel wished he hadn’t enjoyed Dean’s company as much as he had, but he couldn’t help himself from smiling at the man with freckled cheeks as if he really were dating him or from thinking that he had the experience of meeting him, even if it was just for that day.

**-.-.-.-.-.-**

The first thing Castiel did when he got to his apartment was sit down on his couch. He was so full and tired, all he wanted to do was to sleep and relax, but Dean was still there. He had spent such a wonderful with his pretend boyfriend that it kind of hurt him to see him go. If he could, he would ask him out to meet up some other time but that one of the bolded rules of the contract he agreed on.

It was one of the few dates Dean actually enjoyed. Usually, the family members of his clients would give him a glare of disapproval, but not the Novak folks, they both seemed to like him, especially Gabriel. He also enjoyed accompanying Castiel, he was kind and loving, and he treated him nicely, like a person, something most of the women he had been with couldn’t do.

“Shouldn’t you be heading home?” Castiel asked even if he didn’t want him to leave.

“Well, you’re right but…” Dean took off his jacket and laid it on the couch that Castiel planned to lay upon. “I’m not quite done yet.”

“What?” He asked. Was Dean supposed to be there all the hours he paid for? He wouldn’t mind it, it’d be an honor to have him around for longer, but it was still a bit…odd.

“You don’t know what you got yourself into, do you?” Dean raised an eyebrow. That was a first, usually when people hired him under the Full Package, they knew what they were doing but Castiel obviously didn’t.

“I don’t…” Castiel trialed off. “Look, if you want to stay the night, you’re more than welcome.”

“That was my intention.”

“Oh…” He was not prepared for that. “I’ll bring you some pillows and—”

“There’s a second part to our deal, Cas.” Dean interrupted.

 _Cas_. He liked the sound of his nickname coming from Dean but it wasn’t what he was supposed to focus on, “A second part?” He repeated.

“You paid for the Full Experience. There’s a reason of why it’s a bit expensive and that’s because I’m supposed to sleep with you.” He grinned at Castiel’s shocked expression and how his cheeks slowly turned bright pink, “It was in the website and guidelines.”

The only freaking part of the guidelines that he actually took the time to read was the things he wasn’t supposed to do with his host and the only part of the website he was interested in was that he would get to choose from the best damn hosts. “Right, um, _I didn’t know that_.” Castiel admitted as he took a few steps back, his lower back hitting the edge of a table, almost knocking a lamp down. “ _Shit_.” He said when he luckily caught the lamp before it hit the ground. He definitively was not prepared for _that_.

“Hey, its fine, we don’t have to do anything you don’t want to. I could leave.”

It wasn’t until Dean said that when Castiel considered if he really wanted to sleep with Dean. After all, he had paid for it. No, Dean was a person not an object he could use for his pleasures; he couldn’t force him into bed. But oh, God, did he _miss_ sex! It had been a while since he got laid and Dean was his ticket for that.

“Do you want me to leave?” Dean asked when Castiel wasn’t giving him an answer.

“No.” Castiel looked up, his eyes meeting Dean’s, “ _Stay_ …please.” There was a battle going on in Castiel’s brain between his morals and urges. He knew how wrong it was but man, did he want Dean.

Dean walked closer to Castiel, “You sure about that?”

“Yeah. Just spend the night with me.” He said. “No sex.” It was a tough decision but it seemed like the proper thing to do.

“Okay.” It was a weird proposal, but he accepted it.

The thought of having Dean just spend the night in his bed devoured Castiel inside. He wanted to get hot and wild with him.

Castiel had never thought about it before until Dean said they were supposed to have sex, to be able to feel and see his naked body press against him, to reach orgasm. Hard, soft, nasty, passionate, it didn’t matter how it was done…just _sex_ …it was all he could think of when looking at Dean. Maybe breaking one rule in his book wouldn’t hurt. It’d haunt him later, sure, but for the moment it didn’t matter.

So, as instinct kicked in, Castiel placed his hand behind Dean’s neck and brought him down for a kiss. His full lips tasted like peaches and cinnamon from the dessert he had at the restaurant.

The kiss took Dean by surprise but he immediately returned the gesture and he wrapped his hands around Castiel’s waist to bring him closer. “We can do this however you want.” Dean whispered almost breathless, his hands already reaching for the buttons of Cas’ shirt.

And sure enough, they had sex just like Castiel had wanted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I completely made up the Paper Lanterns Music Festival. I wish it were real though, it's be great...please read and comment please, I would highly appreciate that.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

Dean woke up at two in the morning when he heard his cell phone’s ringtone blasting form his pants that were on the floor. Eye of Tiger blasted to get him to wake up and answer whoever it was that called him.

But the head that rested against his chest seemed so peaceful to disturb.

It surprised him how the sudden sound hadn’t alarmed Castiel and he managed to stay asleep through it all. He only cuddled more on his chest and held Dean tighter, making it harder for him to stand up and return the call.

He didn’t usually stay this long, usually leaving as soon as he was done with sex, but then again, he’d never felt so tired after it either and that could’ve been a valuable explanation of why he’d fallen asleep with Castiel.

Slowly, he moved Castiel aside, carefully settling him on the pillow next to him and making sure that he wouldn’t wake him up. He succeeded, surprisingly, and Cas remained asleep, his face burying into the fluffy pillow as he brought up the warm blankets to cover him.

Castiel was handsome, a lot more than Dean had expected. When he heard that a man with the odd name of Castiel had hired him for the full deal, he expected a weirdo that was desperate to impress his family with a looker for a boyfriend. When their eyes met, the day before, he wasn’t expecting someone so attractive and sweet.

And don’t even get him started with the sex. Or was it lovemaking? From the years he’d been in the business, most of his clients wanted rough sex, with Dean fucking them hard against the mattress, making them moan his name as they climaxed. He liked that. With Castiel though, it was definitively different.

Castiel knew how to touch him, caressing his body and kissing him gently on the lips, leaving Dean desperate for more. Dean wasn’t used to going slow, to savoring the moment, but man, was he glad that Castiel showed him the experience…

Oh, and the sound of Castiel’s orgasm? It was like if Dean was listening to the most beautiful sound in the world that it even threw _him_ off edge…

“Dean?” He heard a sleepy voice behind him.

Dean zipped up his pants before turning around, “Hey, Cas.” He smiled at the man curled up on the sheets, looking up at him.

“Do you have to go?” He reached for Dean’s hand and tangled their finger together. “You can’t spend the rest of the night?”

Dean chuckled, “If I do, I’ll be breaking every rule in the book.” Which he didn’t mind, he liked Castiel in a way he couldn’t explain, but it was still a big no.

“Nobody has to know…I just…” Castiel’s grip around Dean’s hand loosened, “I just really enjoyed your company. And I…well, I thought you did the same for me. I’ve slept my nights alone and having you here made me feel better that I hoped you’d want to stay, even if it was for just one more hour.” He let go of the other man’s hand.

For some reason, Dean leaned in to kiss Castiel’s forehead, “I did enjoy your company, Castiel, but I’m just someone you hired, remember? I don’t want you to get attached to me and hurt yourself.” He knew he sounded like a dick but he couldn’t risk developing feeling for a client or for him to grow on Castiel. God, the poor guy didn’t deserve such a punishment, but it’d save him from a whole mess if he were to stay.

“Oh,” Castiel looked down, “Then, who am I to keep you from leaving, right?” He forced a smile but Dean read right through it. He was hurt.

“Cas.” Dean kneeled in front of Castiel so that their eyes could meet, “You’re a great guy, believe me. Probably the nicest guy, I’ve met, actually. You don’t deserve em hurting you. You don’t want a guy like me. In comparison to you, I’m garbage, okay?”

Castiel shook his head, “No, no that’s not true. Don’t say that about yourself.” He placed his hand on Dean’s cheek and used his thumb to trace the freckles underneath Dean’s eyes, “I’m not a saint, either. No one is.”

“You’re an angel, Cas.” Dean kissed Castiel, “But I don’t deserve you.” He grabbed his shirt from the floor and stood up. “It was a pleasure to meet you.” He smiled before kissing his again. Castiel’s lips were just so kissable and Dean couldn’t help himself, which, really, it worsened their situation.

“It was nice to meet you too, Dean.” He whispered, biting down his lips so that he wouldn’t bed anymore. Castiel couldn’t do this to himself again.

Deep down, Dean wanted to stay, he wanted to undress to just his boxers and get back to bed with Castiel, but he couldn’t. That wasn’t part of their deal. He’d already broken a big set of ruled just by falling asleep with him and he wasn’t going to break anymore.

**-.-.-.-.-.-**

When he walked into work, the first to greet him was Cole, a mocking grin on his face, “What’s the matter Winchester? You look like you broke up with someone.”

The truth was that while sure, Dean had walked out of Castiel’s apartment without looking back to the blue eyes that watched him go, the moment he got in to his car, regret fell on him heavy. And while back, all he could think of was of Castiel asking him to stay and how much Dean really did want to be with him for another moment.

In his apartment, he barely slept knowing that he left a sad memory on Castiel, one that he didn’t deserve.

“It doesn’t matter, Cole.” He dismissed his friend’s remark about one of his clients that he Dean couldn’t stand and he walked into the coffee room, where his other set of friends waited with teasing smiles on their lips.

“How’d it go?” The beautiful Bela Talbot asked him as she sipped on her coffee, “I heard he was a violinist.”

“And how exactly do you know that?” Dean reached for coffee mug from one of the cabinets. “Were you snooping into my files again? Or was it Benny?” He turned to his bearded friend that sat on top of the round table in the center of the room.

“Nope, it was all Bela this time, brother. She just told me what happened.”

“You expect me to believe that?” Dean served himself some coffee and added two spoons of sugar, “I know how you two are. And to answer your question, yes, he was a violinist. A very handsome one, too.” And probably too good for his sake.

“Castiel Novak was his name, wasn’t it?” Benny asked.

Dean nodded.

“I’ve been to one of his concerts; the kid is very talented, holy shit. I never pictured him to be one of those who couldn’t find a date, though. You’d think that for a profession like his, he’d be getting ass from all over the place. If there’s something I’ve heard about violinist is that they’re very good with their fingers, if you know what I—”

“He’s a bottom.” Dean interrupted.

Bela blinked, trying to analyze the situation, “Really?”

Dean nodded as he sipped on his coffee, “I have never heard of him before yesterday and I can tell you he’s a really nice guy.”

“Is that why you look like you’ve been punched in the face?” Benny asked, chuckling as he observed his best friend. “What did he tell you? You look regretful.” If there was something Benny was really good at, it was at reading faces.

“He wanted me to spend the night with him, he was really sad when I rejected his offer.” He drank from his coffee again, the thought adding a bitter taste to it. “I actually considered it, I liked him.”

“Wow.” That was definitively new for his friends since they both looked like they’d been slapped in the face. Dean was known around their workplace as one of the best hosts, he did his job quickly and without trouble, always getting great reviews from the customers and now he was telling them how he actually liked the violinist that hired him?

“You don’t even like Lisa, and she hires you every weekend.” Benny said. “By the way, she called and asked for you.”

“Did you tell her she’s not my only client?”

“Yeah.”

“Good.”

“Okay,” Bela spoke out, “I can’t process how you actually developed feelings for Castiel. You usually complain about your customers and how whining they are and this guy, he asks you to spend the night and your rejection actually made you feel guilty?”

Dean agreed, “I didn’t develop any deep feelings for him. He was just different, in a sweet way. I’m not used to my customers actually treating me like a human being. Leaving him the way I did just caused something in me, okay?” Castiel had definitively treated him differently just when he was in need of that.

Bela stared at Dean, “Are you interested in him?”

“Romantically? No.” Dean was sure that what he felt for Castiel was pity. With the way his family, especially his sister, looked down to him must’ve been pretty tough for the guy that Dean leaving him was probably the last thing he needed. But he should’ve known better, Castiel knew what he was getting himself into when he hired Dean. He should have known that Dean was only there business, not to be his boyfriend. As harsh as it sounded, that’s how it was.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is dedicated to destielsdaughter who kept waiting and waiting and waiting for this lazyass to update. Thank you.

**Chapter Four**

For the first time in what felt like forever, Dean had difficulty with sleeping. And it was all thanks to Castiel, who he couldn’t get out of his head after leaving him the night before. The guilt of not staying with him devoured him along with his sleep. 

But it wasn’t like he was attracted to the blue-eyed man, as handsome as he was. Maybe it was the way he was treated. Castiel saw him as a human, rather than merchandise, unlike his other clients, and that could’ve been what made him see Cas in a different light. 

In the past, he had had cases of women and men treating him like a trophy they wanted to display with their families or friends. Castiel gave him a choice when he didn’t have to and Dean rejected him. He was nice about it though, he wasn’t going to put him down in such a cruel manner. 

He had never felt guilt consume him in the way it was happening to him now. It was a terrible feeling, he had his experiences with it before, but it never left such a weight on top of him as it did now. 

But it wasn’t like it was his damn fault. He was doing his job and Castiel should’ve known better than to expect so much out of him. Sure, the guy was lonely, but that wasn’t an excuse to keep Dean longer. 

Yeah, yeah he was being a jerk, whatever…

Dean sighed and rolled over in his bed, pressing his stomach on the sheets and burying his face on his pillow. If he really didn’t care about it, why was it melting him inside as if it were acid?

" _Do you have to go? You can't spend  the rest of the night?_ ” That godforsaken phrase replayed in his head like a broken record, the warmth of Castiel’s hand on top of Dean’s recreating itself only to add further to the horrifying feeling. 

He hated this so much and he couldn’t piece together as to why. Maybe it’d be temporary, who knew, but he wanted it gone now, and he didn’t want to dream about if he ever succeeded in falling asleep.

Damn that Castiel, if only he hadn’t been so innocent and kind to him, maybe things would’ve been different for both of them. 

He wondered if Castiel was going through the same thing he was, he probably had it worse since his attachment to Dean had been very strong and Dean ripped himself away from him because he didn’t want to be a rule breaker. 

Dean hoped it wasn’t that way because the guilt would only take over him even more and he didn’t want that. Not when he had another client in the morning and he only had a few hours of sleep before meeting her. 

Unfortunately, that client was Lisa, and Dean couldn’t wait to hear what excuse she had this time for another meeting. It should be interesting…

-.-.-.-.-.-

Dean only slept for three hours, and it was all thanks to Castiel Novak. This was an interesting adjustment to his system since he was used to sleeping over eight hours a day. Not this time. 

This time, he used up most of his time thinking about the blue eyed man that had him whipped just because he had treated him differently. 

Lisa, currently, was showing him off like an award boyfriend who was great to her son Ben, whom Dean only met once, went to all his soccer games, and knew how to cook like a five-star restaurant chef. According to her, Dean was the total package and a perfect boyfriend. 

All he could do was nod and lie about his experiences with Lisa. 

In reality he hated being there. The restaurant was terrible, the breakfast was like rabbit food, her friends were loud and annoying, and Lisa was extremely clingy. All those things only made his morning even worse. 

“Dean, honey, are you okay?” She touched his arm and leaned in closer. The last thing he wanted was to have someone so close to him as she was. 

“I’m fine.” He lied. He wouldn’t have to lie of he were capable of taking Castiel out of his head. But that had been a failure since last night. 

Speaking of Castiel, when Dean looked up to the television on the corner of the diner they were eating at, there was a commercial of the Paper Lanterns Festival playing and, of course, Castiel’s name came up as the newest star of the show. 

Seeing him, even if it was a picture of him dressed in a suit, blue tie, and trench coat, holding his violin, for two seconds, caused a feeling in his stomach to sink in, making him lose his appetite. Did he really have it that bad? Was the effect so thick that even seeing him briefly made him feel like he was falling?

“I’ve seen some of his videos online, he’s good.” One of Lisa’s friends commented, “His name is weird, though—”

“Castiel?” Dean interrupted.

“Yeah! Do you listen to his stuff too?”

He had the guy on top of him, riding him, but sure, Dean listened to his music. “My friend’s a fan.” Dean said, hoping he wouldn’t be asked about it anymore. 

“Oh, that guy is going to make it big, his music is really good. He deserves this kind of opportunity, better than that douche of Balthazar.” The woman continued and Dean would’ve let out a loud, irritable sigh if he hadn't had such a great control over his expressions. 

“I don’t think he is.” Lisa said, “That type of music doesn’t really sell.” She sounded so obnoxious, Dean wanted to leave, but he was being paid.

“But it’s not unheard of violinists making it out there. In fact, everyday more teenagers become interested in the genre. You could say it’s what’s trending right now.” Dean was beginning to like this woman and he didn’t even remember her name. 

If Castiel’s music really was good, Dean needed to hear it. Maybe on the way back when he dropped off Lisa. He was curious about what he sounded like and if all the praise he was getting was worth it.

“Doesn’t matter. Personally, I don’t think his position in the festival is fair for the audience. People go there to be entertained and violin music is kind of…boring.”

“Well, Lisa, we can’t really judge him, you know?” His tone came off as a bit rude and everyone with them noticed, “Maybe he’s a tragic guy, lonely even who just wants a little companion and copes with it by writing music for him to play.” As soon as it fell from his lips, Dean regretted it. 

“You sure you don’t know him, Dean?” Another of Lisa’s friends joked, “Sounds like you do.”

“I’m just saying.” Dean felt the blush of embarrassment creep up his neck, “You can’t really judge him. Many great musicians were nobodies before they became a phenomenon.”

“Right.” Lisa cleared her throat and drank from her coffee.

-.-.-.-.-.-

Dean worried when Lisa made him pull over on an empty street when he was on his way to her house. He hoped she wouldn’t want car sex. It was already bad enough that the drive from the city to her home was an hour and then he had to put up with the other half of his contract by sleeping with her. He wasn’t in the mood for it, and probably never would be if he continued to think about that goddamn Castiel. 

“Dean.” She started uneasily. “I’ve known you for almost a year. I’ve hired you because you’re sweet and my friends love you.” Well, if anyone were being paid the same amount as Dean, they would also be sweet. 

“Where is this going?” He asked.

“I want you to quit your job.” She said and looked proud about it. “I think you and I should date without me having to pay you.”

“Are you serious?” It was the most Dean could said, he was planning on staying quiet. He wasn’t sure of what went on in Lisa’s head that made her think that he would just quit his job, which he kinda enjoyed, just to be with her. If that were the case then he would’ve done it with Castiel and he would’ve spent the rest of the night with him. 

Wait…

The fact that he even thought about Castiel immediately, told Dean that what he had for the violinist went further than just guilt. Could it be that he had a crush? Was it because of how nice Castiel treated him?

“What do you say?” She touched him, and the feeling of her skin against him completely erased the image of Castiel. 

“Lisa…” He muttered before raising his voice, “You’re a great girl and all but…I won’t quit my job just because you want us to date.”

Lisa scoffed, “So you much rather stay a prostitute than be a decent human being?”

The word prostitute felt like a bucket of ice water to the face, “I’m sorry?” He hated being called that and there had been cases where he’d gotten into discussions with his clients because they called him that. 

“I just want what’s best for you.” She said.

“And you think that by calling me a damn prostitute, as if I wasn’t aware of what I do, you’re gonna get what you want?” He could feel his filter coming off. The usage of that word really had its effect on him. “I’m not going to quit my job.”

“I thought you liked me.” Lisa continued; she seemed like she wasn’t conscious of what she’d done. 

“And so do all the women I spend my time with.”

“Is it because of one of them? Do they give you something I don’t?”

“Well, for beginners, he doesn’t call me a prostitute.” Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit. He fucked up. He realized what he said a little too late and from Lisa’s reaction he knew that what he wasn’t something she wanted to hear. 

_“He?”_

Dean sighed, “I go out with both men and women, Lisa, I thought you knew this.”

“So, you’re rejecting me over a guy?”

It wasn’t really rejecting but at the same time it was? Dean wasn’t sure about his feeling since they were currently all over the place. Castiel was really having his toll on him and he hoped it would go away as much he wanted for the feeling to stay. Who freaking knew that a one night stand would have this type of outcome? Certainly not Dean. 

“Look, Lisa, you’re a great girl, really.” She was okay. “But, honestly, you deserve better. Look at you, you’re pretty and you could get any guy you want but you’re stuck here with me. I’m sure there are guys out there who would cut off a limb just to spend the day with you.”

“I want you, Dean.” She crossed her arms, seeming like a child that was denied dessert. 

“I’m not going to quit my job for you, I’m sorry, but that’s how it is.” There had been many times when Dean wanted to quit his job because it wasn’t the type of life he wanted to lead, but it was so easy, so full of perks, that made him stay and live with the humiliation. 

It was then that he realized why Castiel was special. He didn’t feel like a product around him, he felt normal, which had become an odd feeling for him. He did miss being treated and seen like a person and Castiel saw him as just that. Like a friend, a boyfriend. 

“Take me home Dean.” Lisa said. If only she had said that sooner, Dean would have more time to forget about the uncomfortable situation he just lived through. “You don’t have to stay if you don’t want to.” 

“Thank you, I appreciate that.” He looked over to her, and he could easily tell that she wanted him to spend the night. It made him remember Castiel. Damn it, that guy had to stop coming in at the wrong moment!


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

Castiel couldn’t even shower without picturing Dean’s touch against his skin. The water’s warmth reminded him of the heat his body created on his, the pressure of every time he groped his thighs as he thrusted into him and the butterfly kisses he used to turn him into the hopeless, loveless mess he didn’t know he was capable of becoming. He was absolutely lost in someone he paid for.

Dean was driving him crazy he was the cause of why he delayed his music and spent more time in his bathroom. 

Charlie was the first one to notice. Perhaps because he didn’t have many friends who liked to visit him but she was on his case as soon as she walked into his apartment and watched him get out of the shower.

“Why haven’t you picked up my calls?” She demanded, hands on her hips like a disappointed mother. 

“Um,” He started uneasily, using his towel to dry himself and cover his embarrassment, “My phone’s not charged.”

“You have an interview today.”

He let out a groan, “I don’t want to go; I want to stay here on my bed.” Looking over to the side where Dean slept on, like a dog missing his master. “Can’t you move it to another day?”

She shook her head, “No, I cannot, I already have twice and by doing so again, I would be putting a bad image of you. I’m sure you don’t want that.” Charlie paused, “What is wrong with you, you have been like this ever since that Dean showed up. Did he say anything to you to make you this way?”

“No, no, he didn’t say anything, he was actually very kind and comprehensive…I just…” He sighed and decided to not continue because, even in his head, it sounded absurd, “Never mind.” He sat on his bed and started to dress. As much as he would have wanted to avoid that stupid interview, he couldn’t.

“You what?”

“It’s nothing…”

“Clearly it’s not.”

“Really, Charlie.”

“Tell me.”

Cas rubbed his eyes. As much as he loved her, Charlie could be a little irritating at times, “I miss him, okay. I miss him a lot. And yes, I know what he does, and that I paid him to love me for that night, but something happened along the way that gave me some sort of hope that he might’ve felt something genuine for me as well.”

Charlie sat next to him, rubbing his bare shoulders comfortingly, a pitied smile on her face, “Oh, Cas. I know it’s been long since you have been anyone, but sweetheart you can’t depend on someone you barely know, and paid for, to give you what you need.”

“I know, but having him here, sleeping next to me, felt so relieving. Even if it was temporarily, he took my loneliness away.” He sounded so pathetic saying those words that clearly reflected how desperate he was. “I want to see him again. I want to feel happy.”

As Charlie hugged him, he thought about the last time he ever felt happiness, which was when he got accepted into his dream school when he was eighteen. He was twenty-six now and inspired all of his music on broken moments of his life like the neglectfulness of his brother Michael, the selfish acts his sister Anna put him through, the many bullets he took for Gabriel, and how his parents turned their back on him for his career choice and sexuality. 

Throughout college, he adjusted himself to deal with problems on his own, raising thick walls to prevent anyone from hurting him again. But then Dean showed up to his life, and those walls he fought so hard to keep up, crumbled on top of him and his self-inflicting feelings. 

“C’mon, you need to get ready. I booked you an interview with Kevin Tran and you can’t be late to that one. That kid’s time is precious so I don’t want you to waste it as a first impression.” She gave him a blue shirt that matched his eyes and left the room to allow him to change. 

As important as this Kevin was (he was a very famous YouTube personality that reviewed film and music and interviewed famous artists), Castiel didn’t want to go but Charlie was making him.

-.-.-.-.-.-

Kevin lived in a large, two bedroom apartment that reflected how his hard work and millions of views paid off. He used one of the rooms to host the interview and he looked incredibly flattered when he met Castiel, making him seem like a bigger deal than he actually was. 

“Wow, you’re much taller than I imagined! Please,” He directed him towards an available chair, “Take a seat, it is so nice to finally meet you.”

“Thank you.” Castiel greeted shyly. 

“Wow,” Kevin laughed, “You’re a big deal right now online, it’s really a pleasure having you here with us.”

“Us?”

“Oh, yeah, I always forget.” He pointed at a camera set in front of their table, placed perfectly to have them both on the screen of a laptop next to it, “This is a livestream for those who follow my Facebook. You’ve brought the second biggest audience since Nathan Fillion. Seriously, man, not even this many people showed up for the broadcast when I had Henry Cavill and Ben Affleck. Say hi to the camera!”

Cas awkwardly waved at the screen. Sure, he had done many interviews before, but none of them were live and it had never been as many people, which a second screen showed that the numbers increased by the minute. 

“So, Castiel, tell us a little about yourself for some of the viewers that may not know who you are, which, at this rate, seems almost impossible. Ever since you were announced as the main show of the Paper Lanterns Music Festival, your music’s been all over the place.”

Charlie mentioned that his newest album had a large boost in purchases over the last month, but never to the point where people would supposedly recognize him everywhere. Maybe he was too caught up in the whole Dean Winchester situation to notice. No, it was definitively that. 

“Well,” He began nervously, “I am a violinist. I studied in New York for some time to perfect my profession, which is really paying off.”

“It really is. You’re beating Balthazar Roche’s newest album, too! It’s escalating quickly and I highly recommend it if you haven’t heard it yet. But one thing I want to know about you is, what inspired this type of music. Because at times, it’s nostalgic, but at others, it’s regretful and saddening? Is this from personal experience?”

It was the only question he avoided in any interview, because, yes, this was all music based off heartbreak conceived from one event or another, but he didn’t like telling anyone about it. “Some of them are, others are just inspiration from films. It’d be a bit unbelievable if I said that I never experience regret.”

“From a past loved one, I’m assuming.”

“Yeah.”

Kevin nodded, liking his answer, “So, speaking of loved ones, anyone special in your life at the moment? As I can see from the comments, it’s a top question. Your fans and I are dying to know. Of course, you don’t have to answer if you don’t feel comfortable.”

He chuckled. Shit, he should’ve known that question was coming. He was hoping it wouldn’t, but he was raising his hopes too high. Obviously, he couldn’t talk about Dean, not only was it a bit hurtful, but it was also very faint. Sure, his heart raced at the thought of his bright, white grin, and that beautiful pair of green eyes, but it wasn’t anything special…right?

“So far, there isn’t.”

“Hmmm, you hesitated about your answer.”

“There’s no one special yet.” Although his words felt fake, his face was probably reflecting it and the millions of viewers probably caught it as quickly as Kevin Tran. “When you are in this type of business, there’s not a lot of time to think about romancing anyone.”

“C’mon, Castiel, you’re a looker! There has to be at least someone that’s caused butterflies in your stomach. Kind of like Jessica Biel does to me. Or Henry Cavill does to my assistant. Man, you should’ve seen her when he showed up to the interview.” He teased the brunette girl standing by the computer he hadn’t noticed at first, before proceeding, “There’s really no one? You’ve written and played a few romantics on this new album, and let me tell you, they are intense. Are they dedicated to anyone?”

When he wrote them, they weren’t intended to be used to romanticize anyone; they talked about the love life he always dreamed of, never about the one he already had. It was pretty cliché, with pictures of himself walking down the beach, kissing and holding hands with Dean—

Oh. 

Dean was not the intended purpose of his music when he wrote it. Writing it happened long before he met Dean, but since then, evidently his imagery changed. Now the man he hired to pretend to be his boyfriend was part of the love life he wanted. 

“Cas?”

“The music I wrote was just something that I had to get off my chest. I never imagined for people to turn it into a love hit, but I am tremendously grateful that the followers of my music gave it a beautiful purpose.” He smiled at the camera, it was weak, but satisfying. 

“That’s a very good and sweet answer. Your fans are very happy with it.” Kevin assured him, with a comforting touch of his shoulder. “Now, would you like to answer some fan questions? The audience is dying to get details about what you’re going to do for your Paper Lanterns performance.”

That was another thing he hadn’t thought of. His head had been all about Dean that he forgot he had a major performance to plan out. For sure, he didn’t want anything big like the previous stars, but something simple that wouldn’t make him seem pretentious. 

“I don’t have anything planned out, but I would like a special, simple theme, nothing too big.”

“I was expecting you to say something like that. You seem like a simple kind of guy.”

The interview lasted an hour and it was just him answering fan questions, which were a lot, fortunately. Kevin really liked him and invited him to come over anytime he wanted, because the traffic for his channel had surpassed many numbers that he had not seen since interviewing that Sci-Fi actor. 

Cas considered in showing up again because he liked meeting some fans and answering even the most uncomfortable of questions, and he would after the concert if it all went well. 

As they exited the apartment, Charlie told him he had a missed call from his brother Gabriel. She had answered and from the expression on her face, she probably didn’t have good news to give. At first, Cas didn’t want to return the call, thinking that he was better off not knowing what his brother had to say. But curiosity got the best of him and he took his phone from his manager’s hand. 

He was quick to dial his brother and waited form him to pick up, “Cassie!”

Cas cringed at the horrendous nickname, “You called?”

“Yeah, actually, I wanted to know if you were free this weekend.”

He looked over to Charlie and asked her if he was busy. She shook her head and gave him a thumbs up. “Yeah, I’m available. Why?”

“Well, Kali and I wanted to tour around Seattle for a bit, you know, with me transferring schools, to get to know the place better.”

“Gabriel, you know Seattle.”

“Yeah, well, Kali had this bright idea that she wanted to have a double date and meet your boyfriend!” He sounded cheerful but Cas felt anything but. His heart dropped to his feet and melted on the spot, his knees weakened, and his breath shortened. At that moment, he couldn’t believe that his brother was asking for such a barbaric request. “Is that problem? Don’t tell me you’re no longer with him. Kali’s been wanting to meet him since I told her you have a boyfriend.”

“Why would you tell her?”

“It’s not like it’s a bad thing. Kali loves you, she’s known you since middle school, of course I had to tell her you had a boyfriend that not only was incredibly hot, but was also head over heels for you.” Only because Cas paid him to be. 

“I’ll see if he’s up to it.” Or even available. 

“Even if he’s not, I’m sure you can convince him. He seemed to be up for everything you wanted at the date. Unless you had him lie.”

“Uh, no, don’t worry about, I’ll get Dean to come with us.”

“Good! So it’s settled then!”

Castiel sighed, there was no turning back now, “Yeah, it’s settled.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOW AN UPDATE! THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO LEFT A COMMENT THAT INSPIRED ME TO CONTINUE THE STORY. SERIOUSLY, THANK YOU.


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